LOOSE CHANGE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

The ancient world of the Mediterranean region had initially only come into contact with the tusks of the elephant, and not with the animal itself. As early as the Mycenaean period (ca. 1580 - 1200 BC) -- that is, long before Pliny -- the Mycenaean Greeks were familiar with ivory, which they acquired through trade in Asia Minor with the Hittites.

The Greeks did not learn about the animal from which this ivory came until the fifth century BC. Herodotus (c. 490-430 BC) used the word eléphas for both ivory and the elephant. However, it was not until the late fifth to early fourth century BC that Ctesias of Knidos provided his fellow countrymen with more detailed information about elephants. He was a physician at the court of the Persian king, and was one of the first Greeks to see Indian elephants in the flesh and write about them. We know of his work only from the quotations of later writers.

Alexander the Great was the first Greek to be confronted with Asian war elephants. In the Battle of Gaugamela/Arbela (in present-day northern Iraq) on 1 October 332 BC, the Persian King deployed 15 Indian war elephants, but they were unable to prevent his own downfall and the triumph of Alexander, who managed to capture some of the elephants alive. For the Macedonian King, however, this was only the beginning of his encounters with elephants.

To read the complete article, see:
Elephant Coins: 1. Greeks and Asian Elephants (https://www.kuenker.de/data/mitteilungen/0010_Kuenker_Exklusiv_2024_29_ENG.pdf)

The first thing every visitor sees is the large entrance gate. In the 16th century, this was the only entrance to the secure area, which was surrounded by high walls. To the left of the entrance was the guardhouse, which was manned day and night. This prevented unauthorized persons from entering the mint. If worst came to worst, the guard could use the jail right next to the guardhouse. Caught offenders could be imprisoned there.

Incoming goods were transported through the gate into the large complex of buildings on the right side. This was where the smelter and the assay furnace were located. Experts checked the purity of the incoming metal before it was taken to the scales. A clerk was in the room to record exactly who had brought what and how much. Once the silver had been accounted for, it could be locked away in the room next door.

To read the complete article, see:
Numismatic Museums Around the World: The Segovia Mint (https://www.kuenker.de/data/mitteilungen/0009_Kuenker_Exklusiv_2024_29_ENG.pdf)

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